2009 Serie A Season Review: Cagliari

byThe YankonJune 16, 2009

Team Overview: Cagliari has won the Serie A title only once. The 1970 season was dramatic, but most fans have been disappointed in their play since. Well, this year they had something to cheer for as the Rossoblu (after getting promoted back in 2005) performed well in Italy’s top flight. They even cracked the top 10 for the first time in ages.

Top Performers: Cagliari’s spark on offense was Robert Acquafresca, who neatly tucked 14 goals into the netting. He also added five assists, but Jeda was Cagliari’s top assist man with 9 on the season (and 9 goals too). Federico Marchetti (GK) also deserves much of the credit, as he only ceded 1.17 goals per game on average for all of ’09.

Highest Highs: January was good to the Rossoblu, as they picked up many points and not just against pushover teams. They drew Inter 1-1 and then they beat four straight strong opponents, including Juventus, Udinese and Lazio. Though they struggled on offense at points this season, they slotted eleven goals past the GK in January.

Lowest Lows: Cagliari was lucky their January was good, because the start of their season was horrific. They dropped five straight, and even worse, the didn’t score a goal in four of those games. Thus, they had no goals in September. They were so bad at the start of the season, they had a goal differential of 1-10 at one point.

Future Outlook: While they have improved considerably, Cagliari is still not a serious contender because they do not have enough talent on the attack. Plus, Marchetti does need some help on defense for them to compete with Serie A’s best. If they can bring in a few contributors in 2010, they could once again find themselves in the top 10.